Game Recap:
The Phillies let a ninth inning lead get away from them, as they dropped their first game in over a week to the Dodgers.
What went right?
Jamie Moyer pitched seven solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked none.
Chase Utley was 2-5 with two RBI.
Jayson Werth was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Raul Ibanez was 1-5 with an RBI.
Eric Bruntlett was 2-3 with a run scored, but he did have a fielding mistake in the seventh inning that allowed a run to score.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins was 0-5.
Brad Lidge blew his fifth save of the season. He gave up two unearned runs on two hits. He walked one and struck out one.
The Phillies left 10 men on base.
Game Analysis:
Well, everyone knew that the Phillies would lose again. I don't think many people believed it would be after Brad Lidge retired the first two guys in the ninth inning, then got a ground ball to third base, where the normally sure handed Pedro Feliz plays. Of course, some things just aren't supposed to happen. Feliz muffed the play, and three batters later, Andre Ethier got to play hero with a bases loaded double. It sucks losing like that, and it sucks even more when it's not the closer's fault.
This was a game of missed chances for the Phillies. They left 10 men on base, and Jimmy Rollins was responsible for almost all of them. I know he's a leadoff guy, but when Shane gets back into the lineup, Charlie may want to move Jimmy down and try Shane for a couple of days. Jimmy just is not hitting this year, and though he hit a screamer with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Juan Pierre made it to the ball easily. It was little things like that, or the ground ball to Feliz, or the fly ball that Eric Bruntlett misread in the seventh inning after Raul Ibanez missed a ball earlier in the same inning. You had a feeling going into the ninth inning that something was going to happen, or at least I did. Either way, the streak is over now, so it's time to start a new one.
The big problem with those mistakes was that they cost Jamie Moyer a chance at another win. While Moyer has been shelled by the Dodgers lately, he pitched great last night, and looked like the Moyer of 2008. If he can keep that up, all of a sudden, there are no holes in the pitching staff. He had his control last night, he was working the corners, and he was getting ground balls to get out of innings. When Moyer is pitching like that, you know he's in the zone, and this wasn't the Washington Nationals lineup, either. This was one of the highest scoring teams in baseball that he was dealing with. It may take a little bit longer, but Jamie's slowly getting back into my good graces.
Today, Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.86 ERA), goes against Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.53 ERA). The game is on Fox, so I hope you enjoy everyone gushing about the Dodgers and how well they're playing this year.
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